Spot the Differences

Without the help of Google, or any other search engine or reference material/sources, do you know the difference between the following pairs of words? Be honest!
(v) marks the ones I know.

Sea and ocean (v)

Shower and bath (v)

Lend and borrow (v)

Cash and money (v)

Journal and diary

Picture and photo

Cup and mug

Perfume and cologne (v)

AIDS and HIV (v)

Poison and venom (v)

Contagious and infectious

Country and nation

Thief and robber (v)

Tortoise and turtle (v)

Frog and toad

Horse and pony

Mule and donkey (v)

Aircraft and airplane (v)

Ale and lager (v)

Group and team (v)

Laptop and notebook

Tuxedo and suit (v)

Fog and mist

Comet and meteor

AM and FM radio

~

I got 14 out of 25. How many did you get?

Cover Up

Just got news from home that grandma is not doing too well, again. Her health has been deteriorating every week. Well, with skin cancer, it could only get worse. She was diagnosed with the disease in the first half of last year. Melanotic melanoma. From what we were told by the oncologists, it's one of the rarest forms of skin cancer and does not respond to radiation nor chemotherapy treatments.

My parents are worrying for me, so am I actually. You know, about the hereditary part. As much as I've been denying it, it remains a fact that I have fair skin, just like grandma. Not so much to be jealous of (or proud about) when I have someone in the family who has skin cancer, does it now? And to know that Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer, and that Perth is the country's sunniest city doesn't make it any easier. Leaves me no excuse to not adapt to the SunSmart behaviour.

I know it's wrong to say this, but it haunts me to think that this summer might be the very last time I see my grandmother; that is, if I even make it home in time...

Flour and Sugar

Despite being in the midst of my exam period, I still found some time to bake. Blueberry and yoghurt crumble! Being the first cake I've ever made from scratch, I must say it was quite a success. The amount of sugar used was sinful! I'm still amazed at how easy it was and how nice and evenly the cake rose. Beginner's luck?

That's Odd

Homosexuality. Let's face it - Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, intersexuals, and queers are part of our society whether we like it, want it, or otherwise. They may be our family, relatives, friends, classmates, neighbours, colleagues, ... my point is, they're not that far away.

I believe that being queer (I use this word not for mockery, but because it is a term that encompasses many different alternative sexualities and gender identities) is NOT a choice. If you think it is, try sitting down with a queer and have a heart-to-heart talk with them.

Honestly, who would CHOOSE to be rejected by society, be discriminated against, have multiple religious groups going against them, have risks of being physically and mentally harmed, have less rights, lose family support and friends, be a target of insensitive jokes, be talked about as things among the law, have an increased chance of being led towards suicide, to lose one's chance at a rightful marriage, and to hide from everyone else?

Sexual preference is not a choice. It's exactly what it states: a preference. You either find Wentworth Miller, Julian McMahon, and James McAvoy sexually attractive or not. You either find Sophia Bush, Keira Knightley, and Elisha Cuthbert sexually attractive or not. You don't choose to find Wentworth Miller sexually attractive. You don't choose to find Sophia Bush sexually attractive. It is not a matter of choice. Your sexual preference are a given, and a reality you come to terms with.

Hope

Morpheus was the Lord of Dreams, the personification of all dreams.

Choronzon was the Duke of Hell, leader of the underworld, the devil.

Choronzon acquired the helm of Morpheus from an occult, Sykes, who stole the helm from Morpheus. Decades later, Morpheus journeyed to Hell and entered a transformation battle with Choronzon to regain possession of his helm.

Choronzon: I am a dire world, prey stalking, lethal prowler.

Morpheus: I am a hunter, horse mounted, wolf stabbing.

I am a horsefly, horse stinging, hunter throwing.

I am a spider, fly consuming, eight legged.

I am a snake, spider devouring, poison toothed.

I am an ox, snake crushing, heavy footed.

I am an anthrax, butcher, bacterium, warm life destroying.

I am a world, space floating, life nurturing.

I am a nova, all exploding, planet cremating.

I am the Universe, all things encompassing, all life embracing.

I am Anti-Life, the Beast of Judgement. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds, of everything. And what will you be then, Dream Lord?

I am hope.

Closing The Doors

Listening to - Only Hope (Mandy Moore)

I've recently removed a number of entries from my blog, mostly those containing personal pictures. Yes, it's gonna be quite dull from now on as I've decided not to upload my photos here anymore. I suddenly felt uncomfortable having my pictures up on my public blog. Ugh, perhaps my self-esteem is declining? I just felt like maintaining a certain degree of anonymity and mystique.

Even my facebook profile is now limited to 'friends-only', and I've deleted more than 200 contacts who randomly added me to their list. No more FC support for me! But at least now I know everyone on my list, or somewhat. There are still a handful whom I've yet to meet in person. That's alright cuz we still communicate, chat, or spam each others' wall. Online friends are still fine, as long as the link is not left idle. I hate it when random people add me up to "be friends" but we never exchange messages and end up getting stuck on each others' list for no apparent reason. That just defies the purpose of social networking sites. Dead-contacts as I call them. Don't know them, don't need them - *delete*. Gosh, I'm making myself sound really arrogant.

As weird as this may sound, I'm trying to expand my social circle by making it smaller. It makes perfect sense, though some may beg to differ. I would rather have 10 close friends than hundreds of acquaintances. It's like having a hundred of your friends lost in a sea of thousands of contacts. As I see it, quality over quantity! I don't want to end up losing a diamond while I was too busy collecting stones. Then again, I could be wrong. I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

What is Love? Part III

Excerpts from a conversation with Vivian in April

I believe that love is a two-way thing. It only exists when the feeling's mutual. It is an extreme rarity to find two people who are equally in love with each other, at the same time and place, and live happily ever after. So, what are the rest of the human population going to do?

There are some people in this world who choose to devote their lives in making the person they love happy; so much that they don’t mind if he/she is giving more than one’s receiving. They simply find joy in it.

Love is not about marrying the person you love most. It is about which path you choose and learning to be content with the decisions you have made. There is no clear line being drawn between right or wrong when it comes to love.

Regrettably, more often than not, the plans for our so called "love"-life do not turn out as we've dreamed for. In most situations, strong feelings of affection are not returned, polygamy is involved, and/or fidelity is absent. Individuals get hurt and as a result, many are willing to settle for something (a lot) less than love, ie. security, gratitude, companionship. I see myself slowly deviating towards that direction.

Noone can know when you are going to find that true love you are hoping for, or whether you can actually find it or not. As much as we dream of it to be, love is not a fairytale.

The Prince of Egypt - When You Believe (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston)

Broken

Like a bygone star from heaven
glowing dimly in the sky
Like a soldier in the warfield
whispers to his wife "goodbye"

Like a wingless angel crying,
trying hard to find the light
Like a disregarded segment
of Utopia lost to blight

Like the scratches on a record
causing music to repeat;
To a verse that makes no meaning
when the song is incomplete

Like the heartbreaks that you find
Like the scars done to your mind

Three Bags Full

I was abit preoccupied a minute ago, listening as my mom updated me about how a fluorescent tube sparked and caught fire in the wet-kitchen at home. And I don't know if it's just me, but I can't talk on the phone and chat on msn at the same time. Multiple msn conversation windows are fine, but when I talk on the phone, I can do only that and something else which is not communication-related. I'm a good listener; that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

Anyway, not wanting to just ignore Steven's message while I was in a call, I made a mindless reply which made me laugh when I reread it after I put down the phone.

Crepe Irony

Would like to start this entry by congratulating & wishing my best to my cousins Jacqueline, Lynette, & Sze Ming. Jacq turned 21 on Halloween's; while on the 1st of November, Nette celebrated her 20th and Ming got married. Golly, I didn't even know that he had a girlfriend! Wasn't really close to him cuz of the age gap, but we've always acknowledged each other at family gatherings ever since he taught me how to gamble many Chinese New Years ago. Bad influence? Hardly. Gambling's in my blood.

And today's the 2nd, so... Happy Birthday, Elaine! :)

Getting to you - Many The Miles (Sara Bareilles)

I now understand why mom becomes positively mad everytime I rummaged through neatly pressed garments in my wardrobe when I'm home. Ironing is not a joke. Really. Today, for the first time in at least five weeks, I ironed my entire batch of laundry! Woohoo. My closet isn't cluttered up with crumpled and wrinkled clothes anymore ... for now. It's so nice when everything in my room's in neat order.

I experimented with crepes today, with the ultimate goal of creating a crepe cake *click*. Someday, someday.. I managed 4 tasteless crepes today. Thank goodness I didn't make the entire 20 sheets required for a cake. My next attempt shall be on Friday. More droolings can be found HERE. I'm trying to figure out the perfect egg-flour-milk ratio for the consistency of the batter. Hmm... Will keep my blog updated if I'm successful.